Britain’s heaviest snowfall in nearly 20 years brought the country to a standstill, Monday, costing businesses an estimated one billion pounds in lost trade.
Hello I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching Newsy.com
The repercussions of this record snowfall were felt most in the nation’s capital, where delays and cancellations on public transport meant that 40% of London’s workforce failed to make it into work.
We’re following coverage from France 24, Weather Channel, the Saint Petersburg Times, The Guardian and the Sun.
First, France 24 outlines the problems caused by the lack of public transportation.
“Around the Southeast and in London we’ve got no buses whatsoever, so that’s six million people who basically can’t go to work, go to doctor’s appointments, that sort of stuff.” (France 24)
The British authorities have come under a fair amount of criticism for their handling of the situation.
The Weather Channel commented on how easily the snow affected the city.
“Six inches of snow, just six inches, brought this mighty European city to its knees. It is the most snow in this part of England in almost two decades. ‘We’re a bit fed up today.’ Streets were so treacherous, buses stopped running all together. On this highway, traffic backed up 30 miles. Trains were no better.” (Weather Channel)
Russia’s Saint Petersburg Times had little sympathy for London’s plight.
“Conditions familiar to Eastern Europe and other northerly countries notoriously pitch Britain into chaos, its infrastructure ill prepared for the cold.” (St. Petersburg Times)
Let’s go back to the Weather Channel, who gave the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, a chance to defend his city.
“We don’t have snow ploughs in sufficient quantities, and nor do I think it would be a good investment of taxpayers’ money to have snow ploughs for an incident that only occurs once every 20 years.” (Weather Channel)
The Guardian echoed this sentiment, stating:
“Most London boroughs don't have [snow ploughs] - and for plausible reasons. Westminster said: "Where do you put the snow?" The only place would be to pile it up on the pavement, creating further hazards. More interestingly, perhaps, Camden [Borough] said ploughs were not viable as they could not negotiate speed bumps.” (The Guardian)
The Sun was less forgiving, however.
“As usual, we couldn’t cope. Every London bus was stopped. Not even Hitler managed that at the height of the Blitz.” (The Sun)
Should major cities have a plan in place for situations like this one? Is it worth the investment? Please share your thoughts with us on newsy.com.
I’m Charlotte Bellis, for newsy.com, where multiple perspectives help provide the real story.
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